Hill told Jimmy Fallon that the photographer was "antagonizing me and calling me names and attacking me and my family personally." He said he was "hurt" and wanted to "hurt him back and "said the most hurtful word I could think of at that moment."

"I didn’t mean this in a homophobic way," the actor said. "But that doesn’t matter -- how you mean things doesn’t matter -- words have weight and meaning and the word I chose was grotesque and no one deserves to say or hear words like that."

The "Wolf on Wall Street" star goes on to say he’s been a supporter for the LGBTQ community his entire life and let the community down for using the anti-gay slur.

"My heart’s broken and I’m genuinely deeply sorry who has ever been affected by that term in their life," he said. "I’m sorry and I don’t deserve or expect your forgiveness...If someone says something that hurt you or angers you, use me as an example of what not to do. Don’t respond with hatred or anger, because you are just adding more ugliness to the world."

This is a heartbreaking situation for me. I’m upset...From the day I was born, and publicly, I’ve been a gay rights activist. This person had been following me around -- just to give it some context not to excuse it in any way -- all day saying hurtful things about my family, really hurtful things about me personally. I played into exactly what he wanted and lost my cool. In that moment I said a disgusting word that does not at all reflect how I feel about any group of people. I grew up with gay family members, I’m leaving here to spend the day with one of my closest co-workers and best friend who is gay, who is getting married -- I’m going to stand at his wedding. I am not at all defending my choice of words but I’m happy to be the poster boy for thinking about what you say and how those words are rooted in hate and that’s bullshit and I shouldn’t have said that...

What I said in that moment was disgusting and a hurtful term. I should have said nothing or "fuck you..." I’m happy to take the heat for using this disgusting word. What I won’t allow is for anyone -- it would break my heart to think that anyone -- especially with all the work that I’ve done and all the loved ones that I have -- that I would be against anyone for their sexuality.